the emotional side
by Evelynyamine
Summary: when Annabeth notices Percy isn't him self at school one day, she begins to wonder why. They always said that too much stress isn't a good thing... set after TLO but before HOO they both go to goode and rachel is still at goode too.
1. Chapter 1

the bell rang for the last period of the day, and annabeth couldn't wait. She loved school and learning, but was tired of having to deal with all the people here at goode highschool. Her last class for that day was history, which she shared with percy. She walked throught the door into the class room and saw him sitting at his desk.

"hey seaweed brain" she said.

"hi" percy said. Annabeth stared at him closer; he seemed to be shivering eventhough it was only early fall.

"percy, are you shivering?" she asked

"yeah, I'm freezing." he said

"you do know that it's like 70 degrees in here right?"

"so? I'm still cold."

Annabeth rolled her eyes "alright, whatever."

* * *

As the teacher continued on about the civil war, Annabeth couldnt help but to steal glances at percy. He looked paler than normal and wasn't being his usual self. He even looked somewhat focused in the class! when the bell finally rang to go home, Annabeth packed her things and meant to catch up with percy, but he was already gone.

She quickly ran to her locker and grabbed her jacket and backpack. next she ran to his locker.

Percy was putting his books in his backpack when Annabeth ran up to him. SHe crept up behind him and shouted "HI"

Percy jumped about a foot in the air and dropped his books. He bent down to pickt hem up and stood up to a grinning Annabeth.

"what was that for?" he asked

"i dunno... just wanted to scare you."

"very funny" percy said in a monotone voice.

"whats gotten into you?"

"nothing, just tired."

"nightmares?"

"no"

"well, if there's anything, you can always talk to me about it."

" i know."

the walk to the front of the building was in silence. Annabeth noticed that percy kept holding his stomach and looking down.

_something isn't right_ she thought.

she gave him a goodbye hug, that was weakly returned. she looked into his eyes and they were dull, which NEVER happens.

"bye Annabeth" she said softly, before walking away


	2. Chapter 2

Percy walked through his apartment door and gently shut it behind him. He shuffled through the living room and into his bedroom where he dropped his bag on the floor, dived _on to_ his bed and began to cry.

_Why does everyone think I'm so great?_

_I_ don't_ deserve this praise._

_I wasn't even the one who died in the end._

_I couldn't even save the innocent_

_I watched more than one of my friends die._

_And I did nothing._

_I tried,_

_but it wasn't enough._

_Nothing I do is ever enough_

_Maybe I should just quit._

* * *

When Paul came home an hour later, he expected to see Percy watching tv, or doing his homework, or _something._

Instead he came home to dead silence.

"Percy?" He called. There was no response.

"Percy?!" Paul called again. He began to walk to the apartment until he reached the door to his room. It was shut tight, and Paul didn't really like to invade on his privacy, but he looked everywhere else already and couldn't find him.

"Percy?" He asked, while knocking on the door. There was still no response. Paul gently pushed open the door to reveal Percy curled up on his bed, asleep. He sighed in relief; at least he wasn't dead. As he walked over to him he began to notice that something was off. Percy's cheeks were flushed, but the rest of his face was alarmingly pale. He had dark rings around his eyes, and looked like he was shivering. As he continued to stare at his step-son, he watched as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Hey" Paul said while gently shaking Percy's shoulder. He didn't respond at first but slowly, Percy opened his eyes. They showed ture sorrow and loss, but also looked kind of dazed.

"hey, you ok?" Paul asked. Percy just shrugged, but then turned into his pillow to help cover up the coughing fit he was having.

" I'm fine" Percy said softly.

"You sure about that?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, just tired." Percy sighed.

"alright." Paul said while getting up. "call me if you need anything."

"okay." Percy said. When Paul left the room and closed the door, He sat up, but regerted it quickly becuase his head started to spin.

_Maybe I should talk to Annabeth? _He thought.

_No, I wouldnt want to worry her._ Percy pulled his legs together so he was sitting crosslegged. He rested his head in his palm and thought about what to do.  
Just then, the air began to shimmer into an iris message.

* * *

"PERCY!" Rachel and Annabeth shouted. He jumped a little but then regained his look of emptyness.

"Woah, you don't look so good." rachel noticed.

"Yeah! Whats gotten into you, kelp head?" Annabeth asked. Percy just shrugged.

"Nothing." He said

"LIES." Rached seethed. "you hardly ate anything during lunch today!"

"Wait, Percy turn down food?" Annabeth asked. He winced; all their yelling was really starting to get to his head. He closed his eyes to see if that would help, but right alfer he closed them, Annabeth noticed.

"Percy, serously, what's wrong?" he sighed and opened his eyes.

"Nothing, just tired." he said. His voice caught at the end and he started coughing again. Annabeth sighed

"Well it looks like that we're not going to get through to you, so bye, love you."

"love you too" percy whisperd back.

Annabeth waved her hand across the message and it went blank. She looked at Rachel with worried eyes.

"I get the feeling that this has something to do with emotions, not actions." Rachel said. Annabeth shook her headf.

"I don;t think that Percy is that much of a thinker." She said.

"I went to the same school as him for a year, you ovbiously haven't seen what I have seen."

"what do you mean?"

"I mean, that he isn't as stupid as he comes across to you. Aside from the ADHD and dyslexia, the kid's pretty briliant." Annabeth just looked at Rachel, "Is ther anything else that I need to know about him?"

"Actually, yes." Rachel admitted.

* * *

The next day, Percy wasn't at school.


	3. Chapter 3

Last night when Sally came home, she expected to see Percy greet her. Instead, Paul was waiting for her in the living room.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's Percy." Paul said.

"What do you mean?" Sally asked, worry growing in her voice.

"I'm not sure... he just seems out of it."

"Like how?"

"Well, for starters, he doesn't look to good, and when I walked into his room, he was sort of crying...?"

Sally walked past him and right into Percy's room. He was asleep on his bed again, and curled up into fetal position. Sally walked over and sat down on the egde of the bed. She looked at his face; pale, with rosey cheeks. There were circles under his eyes and it looked like he was shivering. She palced a hand on his forehead and gasped. Next she quickly ran ou tof the room and grabbed a thermometer. WHen she walked back in to the room, Percy was sitting in his bed, holding his head. He got up and swayed a little to walk oer and meet her.

"Percy you really should sit back down."

"I'm not five."

"I know... but you know how I worry"

"Why do you have a thermometer?"

"Because you've got a fever."

"Well that explains why I'm freezing."

"Here; I'll let you take your tempature and get back to me when you're done."

"alright." Several minutes later, He walked back into the kitchen.

"It's 102.8" He said.

"okay, do you want anything ot eat or drink?"

"No..."

"What are you going to do?" His mother asked.

"Take a shower and then sleep."

"Alright, hope you feel better."

* * *

Percy stood in the shower thinking about evrything. From Bianca's death to Luke's. He couldn't get the though out of his head that they were his fault. Not to mention the extra stress from school, he had two projects due soon, and all his eacheres seemed to not like him very much. Now thath the titan war was done, he didn't really see a reason as to why he had to keep living. The gods were already finished with him, but was death really any better?


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for not updating sooner**

* * *

Annabeth slid into her seat during history, the last class of the day.  
Her and Percy sharedthis class, but she hadn't seen him all day. Mrs. Eaton called for attendance and the silence filling the room after she called Percy's name was dreadful.

'Where is he' she thought. The teacher droned on and on about some battle about the civil war, but Annabeth wasn't really paying any attention. She was focusing on the sea next to her that was currently empty.  
"Annabeth" the teacher suddenly called, "what was the first battle of the civil war?" Annabeth paused for a minute to answer the question.  
This is what Percy did to her. Distracted her from everything else.  
"Fort Sumter" she said. Mrs. Eaton nodded an kept lecturing.

After about twenty minutes, the bell rang. She ran out of her class and went to find Rachel. After quickly grabbing her backpack, shoving her books in it, and throwing on her jacket she ran down the hall way to Rachel's locker.

"Woah Annabeth, slow down." Rachel said. Annabeth had just suddenly run into her, without much of a warning. "What's wrong?" She asked.  
"I... Haven't... Seen Percy... All day!" Annabeth said between breaths.  
"Hmm" said Rachel. "We'll neither have I. Do you think he's alright? It didn't seem like it when we last talked to him."  
"I don't know, but I starting to worry; normally he will at least text me."  
"Should we go to his house?" Rachel asked. Annabeth nodded and the two rushed out of the building.

* * *

'I haven't really done much today' Percy though. All he remembers doing is attempting to keep some food down, and failing,Sleeping, trying to be able to breathe through his nose, trying to be able to not cough every 2 minutes, shivering, and most importantly,  
Mourning his friends.  
He just simply couldn't get them out of his head.  
Zoë  
Bianca  
Luke  
Ethan  
Selena  
And many more. Percy sighed and rolled over onto his back, and pushed the hair out of his face. Tears were threatening to come down once again.  
Tears that were not shed on Olympus when Luke's body hit the cold, hard floor.  
Tears that were not shed when Zoë faded into dust, and shined down upon him from the sky  
Tears that weren't shed when he was trying to say goodbye.  
He turned over to face the window when there was a click from the front door opening.


End file.
